why i sew: saskia

Hi all, it’s Saskia from Vera Luna again, with my final guest post. This week, each of the contributors will write about why they sew, and today it’s my turn. Over the past few days, I’ve been pondering about this question, and I realized that there are several answers.

First, I sew and knit because it allows me to express my (and my kids’) style. When shopping we rarely find clothes that we like, especially for my daughter. It’s just too ruffly, pink and sweet. Boy clothes are a little bit better, but too often they involve stupid texts, cars, trucks or monsters. And cool unisex clothing is difficult to find and expensive! Lately, my two older kids (6 and 4) have become more opinionated about their clothes, and their opinions really defy the gender stereotypes. My daughter’s favorite color is blue and she will refuse to wear anything but jeans and sweaters, while my son recently expressed his love for pink and purple and asked me to sew him a pink skirt. I love the fact that I can create clothes that they love to wear and that reflect their own personalities.

Second, I sew because it is such a down-to-earth, practical thing to do. Just like many other people, I spend a lot of (too much?) time online, browsing the virtual world. Sewing puts me back in the real world, it allows me to work with my hands and it stimulates my senses. Each Saturday morning, there’s an outdoor fabric market in my town, less than one kilometer from our house (yes, I’m lucky!!!). I love to spend my Saturday mornings by strolling to the market, followed by a cup of coffee in town. Often, I don’t even buy anything, but just browsing the stands, seeing and touching all the different fabrics leaves me satisfied and inspired.

My final reason to sew is because I love to create. There is something magical about bringing ideas to life. And the best thing about clothes is that they really come to life when being worn. As soon as they are taken from the coat hanger and put onto a body, they literally become three dimensional. It’s so much better than a painting that hangs statically on the wall. I mean, look at a spinning skirt on a little twirling girl. Could anything be more alive than that?

Meg, thanks again for inviting me over here. I really enjoyed writing these posts and hope you enjoyed reading them too.